I’m wavering a bit from an earlier post that soccer is here to stay among American sports fans. The first half of today’s game was mind-numbingly dull. The only excitement was wondering whether the Dutch were going to set a record for penalty cards. The game got better in the second half, but I suspect by then many Americans had tuned out.

In the end, the game provided some drama, and for millions of Spanish fans it must have been a thrill. One can only imagine the euphoria the United States would experience if Team USA were to get to the finals and win.